Cabo 31 Express Review: Hitting new highs - Top Flight Cat Harbor

I love crawling around in bilges and engine rooms. I've found them exciting-even mystical-ever since I discovered an antique goop-encrusted Sears screwdriver in the lowest reaches of dear old Dad's 31' Trojan. Many years and bilge-archeology projects later, I still keep my fingers crossed whenever I creep belowdecks. So stepping under the helm of the Cabo 31', raised via hydraulic rams, I felt like Indiana Jones on the verge of a great discovery.

I looked for a rough edge, unfinished surface or unlit area. I tried to find seams, exposed glass or sharp burrs. But instead of merely gelcoating the engine room (a procedure many builders don't even bother with) Cabo actually built another section for the boat-a molded engine-room liner, mounted between hull and deck. The Cabo's engine room is, in short, finished as well as or better than the salons and galleys on most boats.

After dragging myself out of the first engine room I've ever been tempted to weekend in, I checked out the cabin. Teak and holly deck and teak trim throughout give it a woodsy glow. All the standard goodies are present, along with Lewmar portholes, rod stowage cabinets for eight rigs and a freshwater head. Then I opened the electric panel on the starboard bulkhead. The wiring inside could be photographed for any electrical textbook. Every strand of tinned-copper wire (which holds up to the saltwater environment better than more commonly used copper wire is color-coded and tie-wrapped neatly in place. The whole affair is as organized as a column of army ants.

Cast off the mooring lines and the Cabo continues to impress. Pouncing through a 2' chop in the Nantucket Sound, the Cabo exhibited only one performance flaw: Significant bowrise, probably the result of her far-aft fuel tanks, blocked visibility for a few seconds as we came on plane. But once over the hump, the Cabo provided a very stable, smooth ride thanks to the 45-degree entry and beefy 18,300-pound displacement. Many express fishboats with the same LOA as the Cabo weigh thousands of pounds less-and while you'll pay for this extra weight with higher fuel consumption, you won't lose your fillings on the way to blue water.

With our test boat's twin Caterpillar 3116TA's, the Cabo 31 retails for 208,800. That puts it in the same class as Bertram's 30' Moppie, which lists for $196,200 equipped with the same power. Add the fishing features that come on the standard Cabo and the Bertram will cost $205,000.

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo mind-set always go ourselves one better. After all, we've already done it to the competition. Not surprisingly, professional captains, press, and many marine industry experts consider the founders of Cabo Yachts to be two of the best builders in the world. Not once, but twice, Henry Mohrschladt and Michael Howarth have been at the helm of boat companies...

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo...

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo mind-set always go ourselves one better. After all, we've already done it to the...

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo mind-set always go ourselves one better. After all, we've already done it to the competition. Not surprisingly, professional captains, press, and many marine industry experts consider the founders of Cabo Yachts to be two of the best builders in the world. Not once, but twice, Henry Mohrschladt and Michael Howarth have been at the helm of boat companies...

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo...

The Cabo 47 represents the epitome of what puts a Cabo in a class all its own. The Cabo mind-set always go ourselves one better. After all, we've already done it to the...

Bad to the Bone has been updated and upgraded to provide a functional fishing platform. With her tower and sonar she is ready to fish. Able to sleep six, Bad to the Bone is a great value in a popular, well built Express Sportfisher. Contact Hank White for more information (949) 322-2090

Bad to the Bone has been updated and upgraded to provide a functional fishing platform....

Bad to the Bone has been updated and upgraded to provide a functional fishing platform. With her tower and sonar she is ready to fish. Able to sleep six, Bad to the Bone is a...

Elected Boating Magazine's 1997 Boat of the Year, the CABO 45 Express is the epitome of what it is to be CABO: quality, performance, attention to detail, and an unparalleled commitment to customer satisfaction. Built in the desert of Southern California, the CABO 45 has raised the stakes for the Express Sportfisher Class and defined itself as the benchmark by which all other boats in the class are measured. [displayForm id=3] Listed by...

Elected Boating Magazine's 1997 Boat of the Year, the CABO 45 Express is the epitome of...

Elected Boating Magazine's 1997 Boat of the Year, the CABO 45 Express is the epitome of what it is to be CABO: quality, performance, attention to detail, and an unparalleled...

The Cabo 35 Flybridge is built by one of the most successful boat companies in the business. Not surprisingly, professional captains, press, and many marine industry experts consider the founders of Cabo Yachts to be two of the best builders in the world Not once, but twice, Henry Mohrschladt and Michael Howarth have, been at the helm of boat companies considered to produce the finest yachts in their class. Their first partnership was the...

The Cabo 35 Flybridge is built by one of the most successful boat companies in the...

The Cabo 35 Flybridge is built by one of the most successful boat companies in the business. Not surprisingly, professional captains, press, and many marine industry experts...

The CABO Yachts 32 Express represents the finest in hull design from Michael Peters Yacht Design, coupled with the renowned CABO execution of overall yacht design, engineering and construction. The hull is remarkably balanced to provide a dry, smooth and fast ride. A balanced hull is the most difficult design aspect of any sportfisher under 35 feet. The proper balance allows the CABO 32 Express to ride high in waves, kick up less spray and...

Any boat rides smoothly inside the jetties. Picture perfect days with glass-calm seas are great equalizers. But those conditions don't challenge any boat. One hundred miles offshore at the East Coast canyons or running deep into Mexico for blue water and big fish, you commonly see 50-footers and larger -- but you also see Cabos leading the way, fishing confidently in waters no other comparably sized boats dare to fish. Virtually every boating...

Any boat rides smoothly inside the jetties. Picture perfect days with glass-calm seas...

Any boat rides smoothly inside the jetties. Picture perfect days with glass-calm seas are great equalizers. But those conditions don't challenge any boat. One hundred miles...